Elusive peace

Saturday

Dec 1, 2012 at 6:00 AM

The United Nationsí 138-9 vote on Thursday to upgrade the status of the Palestinian Authority to nonmember, observer status evoked joy in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, but does little to advance the cause of Mideast peace.

The resolution was strongly opposed by Israel, the U.S., Canada and six other nations, while 41 others abstained. Their opposition derives from a clear understanding that a two-state solution can only come about through direct negotiations between Israel and all the Palestinians.

Clearly, some nationsí support for the Palestinian Authority on Thursday stemmed from a desire to bolster the standing and leverage of its president, Mahmoud Abbas, who is also leader of the Fatah faction of the Palestinians. The reality, of course, is that Mr. Abbas, while speaking for all Palestinians, does not in any practical sense represent Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip, an area that remains dominated by Hamas, a terrorist organization that is backed financially and militarily by Iran.

The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has continued for decades, ever since Arabs rejected the U.N.ís original 1947 resolution proposing a two-state solution for the region. But none of that painful history has changed the basic fact that Israel and the Palestinians must recognize each otherís right to exist, work out their differences and enact a comprehensive solution that requires each to commit to the full terms of that agreement simultaneously and permanently.

It took until the 1993 Oslo Accords for the Palestine Liberation Organization to recognize Israelís right to exist, as well as to accept U.N. Resolution 242, which calls for a negotiated settlement of territorial disputes in the aftermath of the 1967 war.

That set the stage for a final agreement, but progress has been painfully slow and enormously complicated by terrorist groups and Iran.

Israel, the Palestinians and most of the world now say they share the goal of a permanent peace. It can only be achieved when the Palestinian people are truly united, forswear all outside interference and are able and willing to come to the negotiating table ready to speak with one authentic and authoritative voice.